OU alum brings passion to annual golf fundraiser

Alumnus Thomas Mittelbrun (left) with longtime OU sponsors Gui Costin and Bill Messner.

When Oakland University alumnus Thomas Mittelbrun became involved with the university’s annual golf challenge, he saw an opportunity to revitalize a social event that attracts alumni participation and at the same time, brings in a much-needed revenue source to help fund OU student scholarships. 

“What I wanted to show with the golf challenge is that if you have a worthwhile cause and let people and businesses know what you are doing, you will be amazed at the participation you will receive,” Mittelbrun said. “This has been the case for the past eight years.”

The 1988 School of Business Administration graduate is no stranger to the Oakland University Alumni Association (OUAA). He served on the OUAA Board of Directors for seven years, including an important stint on the scholarship committee with current board chair John Hruska. It was through this committee work that Mittelbrun saw potential for growing the golf outing, both in terms of participants and in scholarship donations. 

“The most worthwhile undertaking that the OUAA has is their commitment to provide scholarships to a large number and wide variety of students,” Mittelbrun said. “The focus of the golf event is to raise money for scholarships to help students finish their education and to expose people from all over the country to the university. We have sponsors and players from New York to California attend this event.”

This dedication to the university is reflected in Mittelbrun’s family history. 

He is the first of four children in his family to attend Oakland. Mittelbrun’s siblings Dan, Sue, and Ken earned bachelor’s degrees from Oakland in electrical engineering, management information systems, and finance/economics respectively. His daughter Kaitlin is currently attending OU for marketing and daughter Madison is in the Oakland Community College to Oakland University (O to O) Program for Early Childhood Education and Speech Pathology. 

“One of the nicest things about Oakland is that even though it has grown, it still has that small university home town feel,” Mittelbrun said.

For the past 24 years, Mittelbrun has served as the benefits director for the National Electrical Contractors Association and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers in Southeastern Michigan. Additionally, he earned a Journeyman Wireman certificate and a Certified Employee Benefit Specialist (CEBS) at the Wharton Business School at University of Pennsylvania. 

The 2013 OUAA Golf Challenge will be held on Monday, July 15, at the R&S Sharf Golf Course on Oakland’s campus. Bag drop and check-in will begin at 11:30 a.m., followed by lunch at noon and a shotgun start at 1 p.m.

Those interested in participating in the golf outing can view the website or contact Christina Simon at casimon2@oakland.edu for additional details.

Oakland University is a vibrant academic community with nearly 20,000 students and more than 260 degree and certificate programs. To learn more about academics, achievements, and events at OU, visit the news site at oakland.edu/newsatou and follow the news team on Twitter at @OaklandU_News.